All hail, O Lord, my King! Reverently would I greet The at the beginning of another Day! All praise and love and loyalty be unto Thee, O Lord most high!
Fobid, O Lord that my thoughts today should be wholly occupied with the world’s passing show. Seeing that that in Thy lovingkindness Thou hast given me the power to lift my mind to the contemplation of things unseen and eternal.
Forbid that I should remain content with things of sense and time. Grant rather that each day may do something so to strengthen my hold upon the unseen world, so to increase my sense of its reality. So to attach my heart to its holy interests that, as the end of my earthly life draws ever nearer, I may not grow to be a part of these fleeting earthly surroundings, but instead grow more and more conformed to the life of the world to come.
O Thou who seest and knowest all things, give me grace, I pray The so to know The and so to see Thee that in knowing Thee I may know myself even as I am most perfectly-known of Thee.
Cause my thoughts to dwell much today on the life and death of Jesus Christ, my Lord, so that I may see all things in the light of redemption which Thou has granted me in His name. Amen.
Here’s what the dictionary says, “a standard, a benchmark by which everything else can be measured or judged.”
It is my prayer that the following words will provoke you to pray more.
There is an infallible touchstone that will guide you to the spirit of prayer in your life. However this touchstone comes with monumental requirements. It demands that you pull away from the world and all activities. You must cry out with all that is in you that your mind would be renewed and every thought taken captive (2 Cor. 10:3-5).
With all your strength, spend this day as continually as you can in one kind of prayer to God (Jer. 29:13). Present this prayer frequently during the day on your knees, but whether sitting, standing, or walking, always be inwardly yearning and deeply praying this one prayer to God. Pray that the Holy Spirit would show you and then take from your heart every form of pride (Phil 2:8). Pray that He would awaken you in the depths of humility so that you will be open to His light and His Holy Spirit. Reject every thought except that of praying in this matter from the bottom of your heart.
Creator Spirit, who broadest everlastingly over the lands and waters of the earth, enduing them with forms and colors which no human skill can copy, give me today, I beseech Thee, the mind and heart to rejoice in Thy creation.
Forbid that I should walk through Your beauty with unseeing eyes.
Forbid that lure of the market place should steal my heart away from the love of open acres.
Forbid that under the low roof of the office, I should ever forget Thy vast overarching sky.
Forbid that when all Thy creatures are greeting the morning with songs and shouts of joy, I alone should wear a dull and sullen face.
Let the energy and vigor, which is Thy wisdom Thou hast infused into every living thing stir today within my being.
And above all, give me the grace to use these beauties of the earth without harm or taking advantage thereof.
O Thou, who divine tenderness’s outsoar the narrow loves and charities of earth, grant me today a kind and gentle heart towards all things that live.
O God, immortal, eternal, invisible, I remember with gladness and thanksgiving all that Thou hast been to this world of men: Companion of the brave: Upholder of the loyal: Light of the wanderer: Joy of the pilgrim: Guide of the pioneer: Helper of laboring men: Refuge of the broken-hearted men: Deliver of the oppressed: Strength of the victorious: Ruler of rulers: Friend of the poor: Rescuer of the perishing: Hope of the dying:
Give me faith now to believe that Thou canst be all in all to me, according to my need, if only I renounce all proud self-dependence and put my trust in Thee.
Frobit it, O Father, that the difficulty of living well should ever tempt me to fall into any heedlessness or despair.
Show Thy lovingkindness tonight, O Lord, to all who stand in need of Thy help.
At this time in my life, I observe around me those once passionate, Jesus movement hippies, who have now fallen away. I must confess, but for the grace of God, it could be me also. And, then there are the Christian marriages–far too many–that have failed. In asking myself this question, “Why have so many failed?”, I stumbled upon Andrew Murray’s answer.
Why Do Some Fall Away? Many Christians backslide because they are not taught this one truth. It causes them not to be able to stand against temptation or their old nature. This one condition is the answer: Time alone with Jesus Christ every day. All Christians, young or old, must learn this. The Three Persons in the Godhead are the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each one is different from the other. God desires to reveal Himself as a person. God will reveal Himself to us as we are called to enter into fellowship with Him. When you pray, you must do two things: 1) Shut the world out; withdraw from all the thoughts and concerns of the day. 2) Shut yourself alone with God to pray in secret. Let this be your chief object in prayer: to realize the presence of your heavenly Father. Let your goal be: “Alone with God.” Andrew Murray
Almighty and most merciful Father, whose power and whose love eternally work together for the protection of Thy children, give me grace this day to put my trust in Thee.
O Father, I pray–
for faith to believe that Thou dost rule the world in truth and righteousness:
for faith to believe that if I seek first Thy Kingdom and righteousness, thou wilt provide for all my lesser needs:
for faith to take no anxious thought for the morrow, but to believe in the continuance of Thy past mercies:
for faith to believe in the power of Thy love to melt my hard heart and swallow up my sin:
for faith to put my own trust in love rather than in force: for faith to believe in the ultimate victory of Thy Holy Spirit:
For faith to leave in Thy hands the welfare of all my dear ones.
Father, help me to live this day to the full, being true to you in every way. Jesus, help me to give myself away to others, being kind to everyone I meet. Spirit, help me to love the lost, proclaiming Christ in everything I do and say.
O unapproachable Light, how can I fold these guilty hands before Thee? How dan I pray to thee with lips that have spoken false and churlish words?
A heart hardened with vindictive passions: An unruly tongue: A fretful disposition: An unwillingness to bear the burdens of others: An undue willingness to let others carry my burdens: Fine words hiding shabby thoughts: A friendly face masking a cold heart: Many neglected opportunities and many uncultivated talents: Much love and beauty unappreciated and many blessings unacknowledged: All of these, I confess to Thee, O God.
I thank Thee, O loving Father that through all the ages You have shown Thyself accessible to the prayers of erring mortals such as I; and I praise They name that in the gospel of Jesus Christ Thou has opened up a new and living way into Thy presence.
So let me lie down tonight thinking, not of myself and my affairs, or my hopes and fears, or even of my sins in Thy sight, but of others who need Thy help and of the work that I can do for their sakes in the vineyard of Thy world. Amen.
Let me now go forth, O Lord my God, to the work of another day, still surrounded by Thy wonderful loving-kindness, still pledged to Thy Loyal service, still standing in Thy strength and not my own.
Let me today be a Christian not only in my words but also in my deeds:
Let me follow bravely in the footsteps of my Master, wherever they may lead:
Let me be hard and stern with myself:
Let there be no self-pity or self-indulgence in my life today:
Let my thinking be keen, my speech frank and open, and my actions courageous and decisive.
I pray for all who would be faced with any great decision:
for all who will today be engaged in settling affairs of moment in the lives of men and nations:
for all who are moulding public opinion in our time:
Let me now go forth, O Lord my God, to the work of another day, still surrounded by Thy wonderful loving-kindness, still pledged to Thy Loyal service, still standing in Thy strength and not my own.
Let me today be a Christian not only in my words but also in my deeds:
Let me follow bravely in the footsteps of my Master, wherever they may lead:
Let me be hard and stern with myself:
Let there be no self-pity or self-indulgence in my life today:
Let my thinking be keen, my speech frank and open, and my actions courageous and decisive.
I pray for all who would be faced with any great decision:
for all who will today be engaged in settling affairs of moment in the lives of men and nations:
for all who are moulding public opinion in our time:
for all who write what other people read:
for all who are holding aloft the lamp of truth in a world of ignorance and sin:
for all who hands are worn with too much toil, and for the unemployed who hands today fall idle:
for those who have not where to lay their head.
O Christ my Lord, forbid that I should ever again live unto myself. Amen.
Image is everything; perception is reality. We have heard these phrases over and over until we have started to believe them. They are kind of catchy and seem to make sense, at first blush. My take of these two axioms of the business and professional world is that they are foundational lies of the enemy.
If your desire is to provide spiritual leadership in a Christian endeavor, don’t buy into these lies. They will absolutely block your quest. The devil is the source of these lies, not your marketing firm or the Human Resources office.
The priorities of Satan’s domain are antipode to the kingdom of heaven. Satan’s priorities are appearance, image, and glossy vitas–everything on the surface. God’s concern is always the heart–the reality of your life and leadership. When we restore and operate in God’s truth concerning leadership, we defeat the enemy’s systems and move forward into our destiny.
How is it we have so come to believe this lie that perception is reality? Perception is defined as the state of being or process of becoming aware of something through the senses. That is exactly what advertising and marketers rely on, the premise that they can entice us to experience things solely through our senses. When they make us see and believe what they want and our sensual perception motivates our behavior as a leader, we are worldly, not spiritual. We are not depending on the truth of the Word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. When the truth is distorted by misinformation and appeals to the senses, perception can become reality, and the reality is we are deceived.
One of my personal sayings used to be, “you only get one chance to make a first impression.” While there is truth in this statement, it ultimately led me to put far too much weight on first impressions—and the result, I was swayed by the image people created. Honestly, I had been deceived into believing image is everything. But, image isn’t everything. When we look at the image a person portrays we are not seeing the real person beneath—the person who is going to be coming to our workplace every day.
All of us wear masks, personally and professionally. If we are spiritually healthy there is only a small disconnect between who we are publically (the outside mask) and who we are in our times of deep honesty. As Christian leaders we must not fall into the trap of the enemy and believe that image is everything. If we do, we become more concerned about the way Christians perceive our enterprise than the reality and substance of what it is–our branding becomes a greater focus than our integrity. When image is our priority, we are more concerned with what will entice the believer (customer?) to our church, non-profit, or religious undertaking, rather than what they will experience.
When image is everything, we use all the proper “buzz words”—community groups, vibrant worship, men’s and women’s ministries, singles ministry, exciting children’s offerings, and on ad infinitum. When image is everything, we become “theological correct” with our words. Words like sin, holiness, and denial of self are no longer in our message.
This past year, I did some headhunting for doctor positions for a close friend’s business. I would do my customary Facebook investigation, Instagram viewing, and other various social media searches, along with a couple of phone interviews. If I thought the person was a great prospect I would set them up with my friend, the Doc/owner. It was shocking to me number of people he rejected. It was a revelatory discovery for me that Doc would spend hours, sometimes half a day, with entry level prospects and potential doctors—he got past their outer mask to who they really are. He is not swayed by image.
My encouragement to Christian leaders is:
Be diligent to dig deep in your interviewing process and find people who will fit your particular spiritual culture. Don’t be swayed by outward beauty, physical appearance, or flashy resumes.
Focus on the delivery of what you promise in your branding and marketing. Reevaluate it thoroughly and often. Get independent, outside assessments. Be relentless in this endeavor.
Be careful in the overuse of Christian jargon and verbiage. If you are in the ministry side of leadership, don’t be afraid to use words that have substance and deep reality for the Christian life: words like commitment, honesty, faithfulness, purity, and righteousness. Be bold and fearless concerning the issues that everyone else seems to evade because they aren’t popular.
Spiritual success is achieved by being a spiritual leader, one who discerns God’s mind in decision making. Man always looks on the outward appearance; God looks at the internal core or heart of the matter. God isn’t concerned about the perception of your enterprise; He is interested in authenticity. It is a battle to live and lead in reality (truth). However, He has chosen you to do just this. Rely on the Holy Spirit; He will lead you into all truth.
Tim Cameron Writings 